Current Events (NEWS)

[yudansha]

Sympathy For The Devil???

Report: Saddam writes poems, gardens and reads the Quran in prison

LONDON (AP) - Saddam Hussein appears depressed and demoralized in solitary confinement, spending his time writing poetry, tending a garden and reading the Quran, according to a report published Monday in The Guardian newspaper.

Saddam Hussein appears in a courtroom at Camp Victory, a former Saddam palace on the outskirts of Baghdad, in this July 1, 2004, file photo. (AP/Karen Ballard, File)​

One of Saddam's poems is about George Bush, though the report did not specify whether that referred to U.S. President George W. Bush or his father, former U.S. president George Bush, Saddam's foe in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The newspaper quoted Bakhtiar Amin, the human rights minister in the new Iraqi government, who said he had visited Saddam's cell on Saturday. Amin said he did not speak to the former Iraqi leader.

Bakhtiar said Saddam appeared "in good health and being kept in good conditions," but he "appeared demoralized and dejected," The Guardian reported.

Saddam's air-conditioned cell in a U.S. military prison is three metres wide and four metres long, Amin said. Saddam is not allowed to mix with other prisoners.

Amin had little to report on Saddam's poetry. "One of the poems is about George Bush, but I had no time to read it," Amin said.

He reported that Saddam was being treated for high blood pressure and a chronic prostate infection, and was gaining weight after losing five kilograms during a time when he resisted all fatty foods.

Saddam and other detainees get an MRE (meal ready to eat) breakfast, and hot food twice a day, Amin said. Dessert might include oranges, apples, pears or plums, but Saddam also likes American muffins and cookies, The Guardian quoted Amin as saying.

Saddam is not allowed newspapers, TV or radio, but has access to 145 books - mostly travel books and novels - donated by the Red Cross.

Amin said Saddam tends a garden during his daily three-hour exercise period.

"He is looking after a few bushes and shrubs and has even placed a circle of white stones around a small palm tree," said Amin. "His apparent care for his surroundings is ironic when you think he was responsible for one of the biggest ecocides when he drained the southern marshes."

Amin, a Kurd from Kirkuk, was reportedly the first member of the new Iraqi government to visit Saddam.

During his visit, Amin said he met Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, who allegedly ordered the use of chemical weapons against Kurds in the late 1980s; Saddam's half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, a former intelligence chief who was Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva until 1998; and Saddam's personal secretary, Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti.

Amin said he was approached by al-Tikriti, who was standing next to Ali Hassan al-Majid.

"Minister, what am I doing here?" Amin quoted al-Tikriti as saying. "I am not like the others, I am not like Ali Hassan al-Majid." Al-Tikriti asked that the message be passed on to Kurdish leaders and to new Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

"I tried to control my emotions, but to be honest I wanted to vomit," The Guardian quoted Amin as saying.

"There before me were the men responsible for the industrial pain of Iraq - mass murderers who were responsible for turning Iraq into a land of mass graves."

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[Amos Stevens]

Appreciate reading the news article-too many to reply to.

Heard today about Oprah:

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) -- Impressed with a tasty sandwich, Oprah Winfrey decided to invest in the Art Cafe and Bakery.

"It turns out this was the most expensive sandwich I've ever had," Winfrey said Sunday after a restaurant photo shoot for the October issue of her magazine, O.

A few weeks ago, Winfrey ate a chicken curry sandwich from the cafe and was overwhelmed. She offered to buy the place. Less than 24 hours later, the talk-show host sent cafe owner and chef Margaux Sky a check -- the amount wasn't disclosed. The two had never met, and Winfrey hadn't even seen the cafe.

Sky, who had considered selling the cafe because of the long hours and modest profit, was surprised.

"It was just a sandwich, you know what I mean?" she said.

 

[Amos Stevens]

> Veteran actor arrested in shooting death
> Tuesday, July 27, 2004 Posted: 8:48 AM EDT (1248
> GMT)
>
>
>
> SIMI VALLEY, California (AP) -- A veteran character
> actor who appeared in such films as "Death of a
> Gunfighter" and "Gunfight in Abilene" was arrested
> for
> investigation of murder after witnesses told police
> he
> walked into a neighborhood bar and shot two patrons,
> killing one.
>
> Robert Sorrells, 74, was arrested about three blocks
> from the bar shortly after Saturday's shooting,
> authorities said.
>
> He was booked for investigation of murder and
> attempted murder and held at the Ventura County
> Jail.
> Police Sgt. Paul Fitzgerald declined to say whether
> authorities knew of a motive, but said Sorrells had
> visited the bar before.
>
> A bartender told the Daily News of Los Angeles that
> Sorrells had been at the bar until it closed Friday
> night, returned Saturday morning looking for his
> credit card, then returned again in the afternoon
> and
> opened fire.
>
> Police said he shot Arthur De Long, 45, in the back
> and Edward Sanchez, 40, in the face and back. De
> Long
> was killed. Sanchez, 40, was hospitalized in serious
> condition.
>
> Sorrells acted in a number of films and TV shows in
> a
> career dating to the 1950s.
>
> He had appeared often on such popular TV Westerns as
> "Gunsmoke," "Rawhide" and "Bonanza," as well as on
> "The Waltons," "Kung Fu" and "The Fall Guy."
>
> His more recent film credits included "Nowhere to
> Run," "Fletch" and "Bound For Glory."
>
>
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

 

[katw_03]

Seems i remember him. How tragic for the victims

 

[yudansha]

Wow ... on a shooting spree at 74?

Psychological maybe? Tired and looking for a way out of this world?
Still, there are no excuses for such violence.

That Oprah news I've read somewhere. She's got money to burn, so why not?

Thanks for the news, Amos.

 

[yudansha]

Diplomats: Iran resumes building centrifuges used for uranium enrichment

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran has broken the UN nuclear watchdog's seals on centrifuge equipment and resumed building the devices, which are key to making nuclear weapons, in a show of defiance against international efforts to monitor its program, diplomats said Tuesday.

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of working on a weapons program, something Tehran denies. It says its centrifuges are part of a nuclear program aimed solely at producing energy.

Under international pressure last year, the Islamic republic agreed to stop enriching uranium and making centrifuges used for enrichment. But after the International Atomic Energy Agency rebuked it in June for not being open enough about its nuclear program, Tehran responded by saying it would end the suspension on building centrifuges.

The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that several weeks ago, Iranian officials broke IAEA seals on the equipment and restarted the process of assembling and installing centrifuges.

The diplomats cautioned against equating Iran's move with the removal of IAEA seals on nuclear equipment by North Korea two years ago as it expelled agency inspectors and declared itself no longer bound by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The agency was informed of Iran's decision to break the seals, which - unlike in North Korea - "were not a legal requirement" on the part of Tehran, one of the diplomats told The Associated Press.

Iran was still respecting its pledge not to resume nuclear enrichment, which can be used to generate power or make warheads, said the diplomat, who is familiar with Tehran's nuclear dossier.

Still, the move reflected Iranian defiance of international constraints on its nuclear program that have included more than a year of stringent IAEA inspections. Those inspections have come up with evidence strengthening suspicions about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Iran suspended the centrifuge activity under a deal with Britain, France and Germany, which have been trying to find a negotiated resolution on Iran's nuclear program.

But the removal of the seals could push the Europeans closer to the United States' position, which is to haul Iran before the UN Security Council for allegedly violating the Nonproliferation Treaty. That could lead to UN sanctions against Iran.


Earlier this month, Washington called for a special session of the IAEA Board of Governors but could not get support from Britain and other close allies, said another diplomat.

The Security Council can only get involved if the board asks it to take up Iran's case.

Washington hoped the resumption of Iran's nuclear activities would give them the backing they need at the next regular board session, which starts Sept. 13, the diplomat said.

Iran has not publicly announced that it has resumed building centrifuges. But President Mohammad Khatami told reporters in Tehran earlier this month that "there is no impediment to doing this work."

GEORGE JAHN; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Dutch government sues Doctors Without Borders to recover ransom money

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - The Netherlands has filed suit against Doctors Without Borders to recover $936,000 it paid in ransom to win the release of a kidnapped employee of the humanitarian group, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The suit, filed in Switzerland, is the latest instalment in an unusual public feud between the aid agency, known by the French name Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and the Dutch government. Initially both the agency and the government denied paying ransom.

Arjan Erkel, a Dutch citizen, was released April 11 after being held in southern Russia for 20 months. He was kidnapped by masked gunmen while on assignment for the Swiss arm of Doctors Without Borders.

The Dutch foreign ministry said Tuesday it was suing to recover the money "because Doctors Without Borders promised to repay the loan but now doesn't want to do so."

"The case will take place in Switzerland because Arjan Erkel worked for the Swiss arm of Doctors Without Borders, which has responsibility for the safety of its employees," the statement said.

Both sides agree that the Dutch Embassy in Moscow paid a total of $1.22 million, including $280,000 of agency money, to a group of former Russian intelligence agents who brokered Erkel's release.

Doctors Without Borders could not immediately comment but has said in the past it "did not receive or borrow any money from the Dutch government and was not involved" in negotiations.

But Stella Ronner, a spokeswoman for the Dutch foreign ministry, said the money was handed over "in the presence of MSF representatives," who handled negotiations and approved the deal.

Both sides also agree the deal was arranged on short notice and it remains unclear who kidnapped Erkel or what happened to the ransom money.

Even after his release, Erkel said he wasn't sure who his captors were. He was unharmed but 40 pounds lighter.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Japan rejects deportation appeal by Bobby Fischer, former chess champ

TOKYO (AP) - Japanese immigration officials have rejected former world chess champion Bobby Fischer's appeal of their decision to deport him for attempting to travel on an invalid U.S. passport, an adviser to Fischer said Wednesday.

The decision was made Tuesday at the end of a two-day hearing, according to John Bosnitch, a Canadian journalist who acted as an adviser to Fischer during the proceedings. Fischer, who considers his detention "a kidnapping," can appeal again, Bosnitch said.

Fischer was apprehended two weeks ago after trying to board a flight at the international airport in Narita, just outside Tokyo, for allegedly travelling with a revoked U.S. passport. Fischer is wanted in the United States for playing a chess match in the former Yugoslavia in 1992 in defiance of international sanctions.

Despite Tuesday's decision, it was unlikely that Fischer would be deported soon.

Bosnitch said Fischer has until Friday to lodge another appeal, this time to Japan's justice minister. Fischer, who claims his passport was revoked without due process, can also seek a court injunction to stop the immigration proceedings altogether.

Bosnitch said Fischer believes he has been "seized."

"He considers the entire ordeal to date to be nothing more than a kidnapping, a completely illegal procedure on both the American side and the Japanese side," Bosnitch said.

Bosnitch said Fischer has also requested his immediate, provisional release.

"He poses no flight risk, he has nowhere to go, he has no passport," Bosnitch said. "There is no need for him to remain in custody."

Immigration officials refuse to comment on the details of Fischer's case. His hearing was closed to the media.

Bosnitch said that Fischer claimed during the hearing to have been physically mistreated.

"He hasn't seen the sun since the day he was seized," Bosnitch said. "He was bruised on his face, you could see welts in his arm. He is a 61-year-old man, and he claims to have been assaulted twice. He has the bruises and the cuts to prove it."

Fischer rocketed to fame in the United States at the height of the Cold War when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a series of games in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972.

His genius for chess was quickly overshadowed by his eccentric behaviour, however.

He lost his title as world champion in 1978 and then largely vanished from the public eye. Fischer reappeared to win the Yugoslavia rematch against Spassky in 1992, and took home more than $3 million in prize money.

ERIC TALMADGE; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Fugitive wanted in 1969 shooting of Chicago cop arrested in Toronto

TORONTO (CP) - A fugitive wanted by U.S. authorities in connection with the 1969 shooting of a police officer is in custody after being arrested Tuesday in Toronto, the Immigration Task Force said Wednesday.

Joseph Pannell, 55, is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago for the attempted murder of a Chicago police officer which left the victim paralysed 30 years ago, the task force said in a statement.

The task force arrested Pannell and took him into custody on Tuesday at a Toronto location where authorities believed he was working under an assumed name.

Pannell, who is from the U.S., is facing possible extradition but remains in custody, the statement said.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Canadian team going for $10M prize prepares to roll out completed space ship

TORONTO (CP) - A Canadian team vying for a $10 million US space flight prize is preparing to roll out a completed spacecraft next week and could launch within months.

The da Vinci Project team, based in Toronto, will unveil Wild Fire at a Downsview Airport hangar on Aug. 5, team leader Brian Feeney announced Tuesday. "It's a milestone for the project," said Feeney from Santa Monica, Calif., shortly after attending the official announcement with X Prize officials.

"It's the largest volunteer technology project in Canadian history. Maybe in any country's history," he said.

His is one of 26 teams from seven countries competing for the Ansari X Prize. The contest will award $10-million US to the first team to safely launch and return a privately developed three-person craft 100 kilometres into sub-orbital space twice within 14 days. The other Canadian team in the race is Canadian Arrow, based in London, Ont.

Feeney shared the spotlight Tuesday with the competition's established leaders, American Mojave Aerospace Ventures, who announced they have scheduled the first official competition flight on Sept. 29 and hope to achieve a second as early as Oct. 4.

The well-funded team is a partnership between Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and renowned aerospace developer Burt Rutan. They made history a month ago while testing their SpaceShipOne craft, making the first privately financed manned spaceflight in history. It was not an official competition flight.

Feeney wouldn't say exactly when his Canadian effort will make their first flight, but says they are competitive and he expects to be in the air by fall - depending on fundraising efforts.

"What separates us are dollars. We're measuring things hour by hour, day by day," he said, adding financing of less than $350,000 could fire his effort into space.

"It's not about technology, not about the engine, not about the balloon. We've overcome every technological hurdle that one can do," he said.

He's paid out only about $337,000 to get the project to this point. At the test flight of SpaceShipOne last month, Allen told reporters the cost was in excess of $20 million US.

"I've never let and will not let the lack of money be an excuse not to get this project done," Feeney said, adding he plans to fly this fall from their chosen site near Kindersley, Sask., even if another team beats him to the prize. However, he said, additional funding would be a great help.

"We need Canada's Paul G. Allen or equivalent to step forward with less than a half a million dollars, he said.

These two competition leaders come from opposite ends of the spectrum, observed Feeney on Tuesday.

"We've got an extremely well funded team doing it ... and 'we the people' on the other hand," he said.

More than 600 volunteers have dedicated 150,000 man hours to his project over the past eight years - time he estimates is worth up to $15 million.

The prize is intended to usher in a new era of private space travel and tourism. It is inspired by the early aviation prizes of the 20th century, primarily the Orteig prize which was awarded in 1927 for the spectacular trans-Atlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh in The Spirit of St. Louis.

"We are excited about the effect this can have to revitalize space in the U.S. and around the world - to make dreamers from kids and dreamers who are adults all realize that space is possible for the rest of us and not just limited to a few governments and a few very well-trained qualified astronauts," said Peter Diamandis, chair and founder of the X Prize foundation, from Santa Monica.

"We are within arm's reach right now of the Ansari X Prize being won."

JEN HORSEY; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Japanese politician offers to be Bobby Fischer's sponsor to fight detention

TOKYO (AP) - An influential Japanese politician said Thursday he has volunteered to be Bobby Fischer's legal guarantor and urged immigration authorities to release the former world chess champion from an airport detention cell where he is being processed for deportation.

Ichiji Ishii, a former deputy foreign minister and three-term member of parliament, said he was volunteering to support Fischer "as a person who likes chess, and as a friend."

Japanese authorities on Tuesday turned down an appeal against their decision to deport Fischer for allegedly travelling on an invalid passport. Fischer was detained at Narita airport, just outside Tokyo, after trying to board a plane for the Philippines on July 13.

Fischer has until Friday to lodge another appeal.

Ishii said that Fischer should not be kept in custody during the appeal process because he is not likely to try to flee.

"There is no danger of him hiding or disappearing," Ishii said.

John Bosnitch, another Fischer supporter, said he has been in contact with several countries in an attempt to win political asylum for the eccentric chess legend. He said Fischer, whose father was German, is also considering applying for a German passport.

"It is very hard to predict Bobby Fischer's next move," Bosnitch said. "But I think he's in a winning position, if the law means anything."

Fischer became an American icon when, at the height of the Cold War, he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a series of games in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972. The win made him the first U.S. world chess champion in more than a century.

Increasingly erratic and reclusive, he lost his title as world champion in 1978 and then largely vanished from the public eye until he reappeared to play a rematch in the former Yugoslavia against Spassky in 1992.

Though Fischer won, and took home more than $3 million US in prize money, he played in violation of United Nations sanctions and has been wanted in the United States ever since.


"It was a political statement by Bobby to stand up to the sanctions," Bosnitch said, adding that Fischer has not returned to the United States since the rematch.

Though Fischer has kept a low profile in recent years, he was frequently interviewed by a radio station in the Philippines. In one session he praised the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, saying America should be "wiped out" and describing Jews as "thieving, lying *******s."

Bosnitch, who acted as Fischer's adviser during the appeal hearing, refused to comment on Fischer's political positions, but said Fischer remains a "genius."

ERIC TALMADGE; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

FBI Issues Terror Warning for Calif., N.M.

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The FBI (news - web sites) warned police in California and New Mexico that it received information about possible terrorist activity in their states. However, the warning wasn't specific about particular targets or a method of attack, a federal law enforcement official said Thursday.

The FBI decided to pass along the threat information but warned that it was considered unsubstantiated and uncorroborated, said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The vague warning was distributed to authorities in California, New Mexico and some other Western states the official did not identify.

U.S. officials earlier this month warned that a regular stream of intelligence indicates al-Qaida wants to attack the United States to disrupt the upcoming elections.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has said the government does not have specific knowledge about where, when or how an attack might take place.

Security was extremely tight at the Democratic National Convention in Boston this week. No terrorist-related activity has been reported.

 

[yudansha]

Bobby Fischer wins extension from Japan to appeal deportation order to U.S.

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's immigration officials granted chess legend Bobby Fischer an extension Friday to appeal a deportation order to the United States, a supporter said.

Fischer, wanted by U.S. authorities for playing a 1992 chess match in the former Yugoslavia in violation of international sanctions, previously had until Friday midnight to fight a decision to hand him over for travelling with an invalid passport.

That deadline was extended to Monday in order to give Fischer time to prepare the necessary documents, his supporter, John Bosnitch, told The Associated Press by telephone.

"Mr. Fischer is going to fight this unlawful detention all the way," Bosnitch said, after visiting Fischer at the detention centre to review the case with him.

Fischer was detained at Narita airport, just outside Tokyo, after trying to board a plane for the Philippines on July 13. Officials said he was using a passport that had been revoked by the United States.

As Japanese officials prepared to deport him, Fischer appealed, claiming the passport was revoked without due process and was still valid.

That appeal was rejected Tuesday after a closed two-day hearing.

His next appeal would go to Japan's justice minister.

The 61-year-old chess legend became an American icon when, at the height of the Cold War, he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a series of games in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972 to claim the world championship.

Increasingly erratic and reclusive, he largely vanished from the public eye until reappearing to play a fateful rematch against Spassky in Yugoslavia.

Fischer won the rematch and took home more than $3 million in prize money, but he played in violation of United Nations sanctions and has been wanted in the United States ever since.

Since his detention, Fischer, whose father was German, has also been attempting to obtain a German passport or win political asylum from a third country.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Passenger bus and truck collide in eastern Turkey, killing 25

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - A truck collided with a bus in eastern Turkey, sparking a chain-reaction crash that killed about 25 people and injured more than 20 others, a news report said Friday.

The accident occurred late Thursday in province Erzincan, 700 kilometres east of the capital, Ankara, the Anatolia news agency reported. A minivan then crashed into the two, the agency said. Anatolia quoted Industry Minister Ali Coskun saying that some 25 passengers died and more then 20 were injured.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Each year, thousands of people are killed in traffic accidents on Turkey's roads, many of which consist of just two lanes, are badly lit and poorly patrolled.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Suicide bombs hit U.S., Israeli embassies in Uzbek capital; 2 Uzbek's killed

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) - Suicide bombers hit the U.S. and Israeli embassies Friday, killing at least two Uzbeks, news reports and police said.

A third blast hit the general prosecutor's office and caused "deaths," a Russian news agency reported. A spokeswoman at the prosecutor's office confirmed the blast. The attacks occurred as 15 suspects with alleged links to al-Qaida stand trial for a wave of violence earlier this year that left at least 47 people dead. Those attacks had included Central Asia's first suicide bombings.

The Interfax news agency said a man with an explosive belt on his waist detonated a bomb outside the American Embassy and Uzbek security forces surrounded the compound, stopping all traffic.

Outside the heavily fortified American compound, a body believed to be that of a suicide bomber lay in the street across from the entrance. The vicinity was blocked off by heavily armed police and soldiers, but from a distance there was no visible damage to the tall concrete wall around the compound.

Israel Radio said the attack on the Israeli Embassy also was a suicide assault and that one of the dead there was an Uzbek security guard.

The radio said all the Israeli personnel were safe inside the embassy building, while Uzbek security forces conducted searches in the area. The explosion occurred on the pavement at the entrance to the embassy, the radio said.

Israeli Ambassador Tzvi Cohen also said no Israelis were hurt.

"An explosive device exploded at the entrance to the embassy in Tashkent, but it's still not clear if it was an explosive device or a suicide bomber," Cohen told Israel Radio from the embassy.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, borders Afghanistan and allowed the United States to base soldiers and equipment there for the war that ousted the Taliban regime. Moscow still considers its former republics in the region to be its area of influence.

Uzbek leader Islam Karimov runs a strict regime that has sought to wipe out Islamic extremism. He allows no opposition to his rule, which dates to Soviet times.

Debris littered the area outside the Israeli Embassy and soldiers in helmets and with automatic weapons blocked off the street. The embassy is surrounded by a high stone security wall and the building did not appear to be damaged.

A man who said he arrived at the scene before police, Konstantin Ivanov, said he saw four severed hands lying in the street.

There is a significant Jewish population in Uzbekistan.

A spokeswoman for the general prosecutor's office, Svetlana Artikova, said there also was a blast at that building, but she had no information on casualties. The Interfax news agency reported there were deaths in the explosion, citing an unnamed source at the office.

In Washington, a State Department official confirmed that the department had "received reports of a bombing outside the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent." The official had no information on casualties and said it was not clear if the embassy was the target.

The 15 suspects on trial for the March and April violence have pleaded guilty to charges of terrorism, murder and religious extremism. They could face the death penalty. The violence claimed the lives of 33 alleged militants, 10 police officers and four bystanders.

BURT HERMAN; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Armed thieves hit Costco store, tying up employees and taking cigarettes

HALIFAX (CP) - As many as 40 Costco employees arriving for work Friday morning were tied up by masked, gun-toting thieves who made off with a van loaded with cigarettes.

Police were investigating the brazen robbery and interviewing shaken employees Friday afternoon, as investigators combed the warehouse-like store in a Halifax industrial park.

Police say the thieves were dressed in dark clothing, wearing masks, and believed to be carrying handguns.

Most of the employees who arrived for work between four and six a.m. were tied up as they came through the door, said police spokesman Const. Mark Hobeck.

"What we know is that multiple suspects entered the store, produced guns, bound the employees and made off with a large quantity of cigarettes," said Hobeck.

Police believe a couple of employees were already inside the store when the suspects gained access.

There were no injuries and the store was closed for the day as counsellors were brought in for the employees.

Police said the thieves took about two hours to load a cube van before leaving the store.

They are also investigating whether the vehicle, with an octopus painted on the side and Arizona plates, had been stolen.

"That would be a first thought. We'll go through any stolen vehicle reports that have come in over the past few days to see if anything shows up," said Hobeck.

© The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[yudansha]

Last of New York's Mafia dons convicted on all counts, faces life in prison

NEW YORK (AP) - Crime boss Joseph Massino was convicted Friday of orchestrating a quarter century's worth crimes including murder, racketeering, arson and extortion, becoming the last of New York's Mafia dons to lose his freedom.

Jurors took less than four days to weigh two months of evidence, including testimony from a parade of turncoat mobsters. They delivered what prosecutors called a devastating blow to organized crime.

Massino posed as a humble Queens restauranteur but prosecutors said he was a "one-man army" who ruthlessly ordered rivals slain to consolidate his power over a syndicate that earned millions of dollars from loansharking and gambling and other illicit operations.

Massino had been dubbed "The Last Don" for his ability to rebuild the family and avoid jail while the heads of New York's other four Mafia families were all behind bars.

"Massino was convicted for some of the most notorious murders in mob history," U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said after the verdict. "Soon he will be joining the bosses of those other families where they all belong."

He was convicted in the murders of seven mobsters, including two men who introduced FBI agent "Donnie Brasco" to the family, leading to more than 120 convictions.

Witnesses for the first time described the killing of Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, who introduced the agent to the Bonannos. Napolitano was quickly dispatched on Massino's orders, with his hands chopped off to discourage other mobsters from letting turncoats shake hands with made men. The Brasco saga later became the subject of a movie starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

Defence attorney David Breitbart claimed the turncoat mobsters lied under oath to win favourable treatment from prosecutors, and argued that Massino was not responsible for the murders because he was not the Bonanno boss when the killings were done. Prosecutors said he orchestrated the murders, and his status as boss was irrelevant.

Massino, 61, a former 400-pounder known as "Big Joey," stood impassively as the jury forewoman pronounced him guilty on 11 counts that included 16 acts of racketeering. His daughter, Adeline, sitting in the courtroom, whispered, "Oh, God" and put her head in her hands.

After the verdict, lawyers discussed a hearing on the forfeiture of more than $10 million, including two Queens restaurants and cash from gambling, extortion and Christmas tributes. The mob boss turned to his wife, Josephine, and offered a brief shrug.

Prosecutors and FBI agents hugged and kissed outside the courtroom as his family departed in silence.

The trial was the most formidable organized crime prosecution since the 1997 case against Genovese boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante.

Since his 1992 release on a racketeering rap, Massino dodged prosecution while bringing the Bonannos back from the brink of extinction. The family nearly collapsed after FBI agent Joe Pistone, posing as jewel thief Brasco, was embraced by the Bonanno hierarchy from 1976-81.

Massino oversaw the Bonanno comeback from his Queens restaurant, CasaBlanca, where mobsters mingled beneath pictures of Bogart and Bergman. In his efforts to stymie government wiretaps, Massino had instructed his minions to tug their ear when referring to him, rather than speak his name.

But it was the underlings themselves who brought about Massino's downfall. Eight of them, including former underboss, best friend and brother-in-law Salvatore "Good Lookin' Sal" Vitale, recounted Massino's exploits in minute and overlapping detail.

MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN; © The Canadian Press, 2004

 

[Amos Stevens]

Yeah Yudansha-someone I email who lives in Canada sent me the article about the cigarette hold up in Halifax-with the arizona license plates..she wanted to know where i was at that time

 

[Amos Stevens]

Mike Tyson: A Reflection
By Henry Dyck (August 1, 2004)


Just as Danny Williams and perhaps Father Time were
delivering Mike Tyson his final blow I took a brief
second to reflect on what Mike Tyson has given to me
and all his fans.

When boxing needed it most, a brash, young man stepped
up and resurrected this sport from the ashes. Cleaning
out a division riddled with B-class fighters and
over-the-hill greats, Mike Tyson brought back the
luster that the golden division had lost.

But it wasn’t so much the order he restored but the
fashion of which he delivered it. With unprecedented
ferocity and power, lightning quick combinations and
an aura of invincibility, he didn’t just defeat his
opponents, he destroyed them.

Mike Tyson has been defeated more than he’s
disappointed. I’ve always said that Tony Tucker and
‘Bonecrusher’ Smith were the most talented fighters
he’s ever faced. They were the only two men that
turned bombs into yawns.

And despite taking some losses in and out of the ring,
his power to entertain never eroded like his once
great skills. Even at the age of 38, the name Mike
Tyson still held immense gravity over the public’s
mind as well as the box office.

Browse any website dedicated to the sweet science and
you will see countless articles written about him.
That number will double or even triple within days of
his scheduled fight. This is a fighter that hasn’t
fought anyone substantial in over eight years. How can
someone hold the public’s interest for so long while
remaining so inactive? Because sports is about
entertainment, and nobody is more entertaining than
Mike Tyson.

My heart still aches over the loss he sustained last
night. I’ve been a fan of Iron Mike’s when he still
entered the ring sans his trademark black trunks and
boots. It’s a pain sustained not from this loss but
from the final blow that reality has driven into my
chest. Mike Tyson’s career is over. There will be no
more resurrections. No more ‘last chances’ to regain
what he once restored.

After the final count had been delivered, Tyson told
his trainer, Freddie Roach, that he was sorry. That he
was disappointed.

“You don’t have to be sorry with me,” Roach replied.
Nor with I, Mike.

Thank you for the great memories. Good luck in
whatever path you choose.




© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing
1998-2004

 

[Serena]

And I though New Yorkers had the reputation for ignoring things that went on in the streets around them.

Apollo, a 450-pound, 7-year-old Bengal tiger, rests in its cage after escaping from the Coles Brothers Circus that is on tour in Forest Park in the Queens borough of New York, Saturday, July 31, 2004.

Circus Tiger Escapes, Causes Scare in NYC
Sat Jul 31, 6:25 PM ET Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - After escaping from the circus, a white tiger alarmed picnickers and motorists Saturday on what for him apparently was a calm, half-mile stroll through an unfamiliar urban jungle.

The animal, named Apollo, was safely recaptured in the Queens section of the city — but not before the sight of him on the Jackie Robinson Parkway caused a multi-car accident. Four adults and one child suffered minor injuries.

When the tiger lay down on a nearby street, six police officers with guns drawn created a perimeter around it, Capt. John Durkin said. The tiger's trainer arrived and coaxed it back into his cage.

"They did some type of signal, and the tiger jumped into the cage," Durkin said. "The tiger was taken into custody without incident."

The 7-year-old, 450-pound tiger is part of the Cole Bros. Circus that was performing in Forest Park.

The cat was being transferred from a small cage to a larger one when the two enclosures separated, creating an opening big enough for him to get out, police and parks officials said.

Apollo calmly prowled through a section of the park, walking past Mary Mason and other people at a church picnic.

"We were all in shock," Mason said. "Here we are, out on a quiet Saturday afternoon picnic and all of a sudden, a tiger is walking past like he was on a quiet afternoon stroll."

Durkin said police followed the animal for about a half-mile from the park to a residential street near the Jackie Robinson Parkway. The tiger had apparently strolled through some streets and stepped on to the parkway before settling in on the street where the police found him, police said.

Durkin said authorities were investigating whether the Florida-based circus would be charged with anything. Circus officials declined to comment on the incident.

It's not the only time police have had to deal with a tiger in the city. Last October, police and animal control officers removed a nearly 600-pound tiger and a 5-foot-long alligator from a Manhattan apartment.

"Police have no special training on how to deal with tigers," Durkin said. "Based on this tiger and the last tiger, we may have to incorporate something into our training."